Operation Dynamo mark 2

An improvised emergency operation is needed to extract our country from the European Union (EU) just as in the early summer of 1940 the original Operation Dynamo was essential to rescue the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from occupied Europe. And, as with the original, it will include a motley collection of ordinary people helping under professional direction, since Mrs May’s government cannot do it alone. As the days pass the urgency becomes greater and our plight more desperate. There is no tangible Brexit progress under Mrs May’s leadership and with the rule-bound control-freak EU ‘nothing is agreed until everything is agreed’. It is accept the EU’s terms or let highly-integrated trade with the Single Market (and wider European Economic Area, EEA) face huge disruption after we leave.

Mrs May has boxed us into an ever smaller dead end

Mrs May has left herself no options outside accepting the EU’s increasingly demanding terms in order to deliver frictionless trade (with the Single Market and wider EEA) and a soft border in Ireland. All imaginary technical solutions and customs partnerships or unions have already been rejected by the EU. In any case the government doesn’t have a stellar record of delivering complex IT projects to specification, on time and within budget. Further, it is membership of the Single Market (or EEA) that delivers near frictionless trade between members, not participation in a customs union.

Brexit in name only with the UK a temporary then permanent EU vassal state can be the only outcome, if Mrs May caves in to the EU’s demands or not. Even if she got her flimsy free trade agreement (FTA) and whimsical mutual recognition of standards the concessions required from her would still mean that we are a vassal state in everything but name, with the EU able to ‘turn the screws’ at any time. And frictionless trade with an FTA is a fantasy.

The EFTA/EEA escape route from EU occupied Europe

Rather than being trapped under EU hegemony, as Mrs May is leading us into, we could remain in the Single Market under different, much more flexible conditions by re-joining the free nations of Europe in The European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The EFTA/EEA route is far better enabling us on 29th March 2019 to leave the political EU and its alien, autocratic straightjacket whilst still trading, as now, with the Single Market. As a temporary measure it could buy time for FTA negotiations. (see also here, Brexit Reset, Eureferendum.com)

The EEA Agreement (with its annexes and protocols) determines how the EFTA countries participate in the EEA. This agreement is regularly amended to suit the interests of the participating EFTA countries – each country has its own variations. Hence taking the existing off-the-shelf versions we could get our own bespoke version to suit our needs and then revise as many times as we choose to correct errors, customise further to suit our needs and as conditions change.

The free nations of EFTA are our Brexit rescue partners

Any EFTA/EEA negotiation, unlike the EU Article 50 negotiations, would be a collaboration not an adversarial confrontation, and would be conducted within a different environment. It is about amending the EEA agreement to improve it, in our and our EFTA partners’ interests. And their expertise built up over many years would be invaluable. This would also go some way to making amends for Mrs May’s betrayal of EFTA by deciding to leave the Single Market (and wider EEA), and leaving them out of any negotiations.

Key items for the UK EFTA/EEA agreement

We need our version of the EEA Agreement to positively address our major national interests, in particular near frictionless trade and control of immigration. Frictionless trade is mainly about dealing with technical issues, how to retain existing arrangements without introducing new barriers. Control of immigration is about strengthening existing arrangements in the EEA agreement (Article 112, the Safeguard Measures). These would already allow us to unilaterally manage immigration. However, in the UK there are permanent economic, infrastructural and societal factors which would justify introducing specific clauses to ensure the stronger right to permanent or longer term control.

Stakeholder working groups for frictionless trade

Delivering near frictionless trade is where the bulk of the work is in amending the EEA agreement to suit our requirements across the wide range of economic activities from aeronautics to zoology. This is obviously beyond the competence of Mrs May, Mr Davis and the Department for (not) Exiting the European Union. Yet untapped real expertise exists amongst the various (industry) stakeholders who are already familiar with relevant EU/EEA legislation and working practices. These people would be highly motivated to solve any issues, once they recognise the government’s limitations, since their livelihoods often, in part at least, depend on frictionless trade. Multiple industry working groups can function concurrently, whilst learning from each other and ‘comparing notes’ to speed up their ‘learning curves’. Including public consultations and publication of drafts could add considerable transparency to their activities, whilst moving the process away from destructive political in-fighting.

Preventing abuse of the EEA agreement

The EU doesn’t want us back as a troublesome full member state. As an EU vassal state they can get everything they want from us. However, it would be prudent to send a strong message to EU ‘fifth columnists’ that the EFTA/EEA agreement cannot be subverted – that it must always be used for its original purpose to provide access to the Single Market for free European nations (outside the EU).

Brexit’s Operation Dynamo can be made to work

It is all straightforward project management, not rocket science, and much less risky than Mrs May’s fraught and furtive Article 50 negotiations. For starters, it needs: addressing resourcing requirements; building competences; setting objectives, priorities and timetables; managing risks; co-ordinating efforts. This is merely following a systematic document preparation process, which can be adapted to build in various procedures, checks, controls and risk mitigation measures. Many industry specialists do this sort of thing all the time, for example, under the aegis of the British Standards Institution. There may also need to be continuity planning to keep trade moving under existing arrangements until the EFTA/EEA bespoke UK EEA agreement can be fully adopted; not difficult since we would be staying in the EEA. Work carried out now and resources developed could also be useful in the years to come in developing international trade and reforming the Single Market.

Other lessons from the original Operation Dynamo

The original Operation Dynamo was a collective effort of improvisation in a short time – it worked better than expected in a national crisis. It provided a hard lesson against insular complacency and laid foundations for a future national cooperative effort. A new crisis is coming as a consequence of Mrs May’s shambolic negotiations and recklessness in deciding to leave the Single Market without a plan for frictionless trade. Just as in 1940, a committed, courageous and practical new prime minister could be needed.

18 Comments

Peter Hitchens is again advocating the Norway option today (10 June, MailonSunday).
I put in a comment (below), although I don’t know yet whether it will get “moderated.”

P Hitchens says “what if the scare stories are right, and the M20 does turn overnight into an enormous lorry-park”,

I say “this translates to something equivalent to “We can’t fight the Battle of Britain today because we fear huge transport delays.”
The only way to break EU tentacles is by cleanly repealing the 1972 Act of Accession. What is never spelt out in the MSM is that failure to do so will condemn our descendents to an islamic totalitarian 3rd world hellhole that we can’t fight against, where we’ll get the Euro anyway. If you think things will stay pretty much as they are now if we don’t take drastic action to leave, you are very much mistaken.

However I understand why you favour the Norway option (if indeed it IS an option. Since the electorate have only heard the scare side and probably hasn’t got the nerve to see through a clean break”
And yes it would take nerve, there would be problems. Our enemies would see to that. But I see EFTA as the thin end of the wedge: in practice it would not be just a stop gap solution

P Hitchens labels us “fanatics.” but is it fanatical to weigh up one evil against another?

Repealing the1972 Act would also stop all this nonsense about “Brexit hasn’t got us out of the EU Arrest Warrant.”the

RichardW
on June 10, 2018 at 10:25 am

Thank you for this post, Mary. You are so right. I am deeply disappointed that Peter Hitchens has fallen for the Richard North/Christopher Booker “We can’t leave ‘coz it’s all too technically difficult” line. There are some technical diificulties about going over to WTO but nothing that could not be surmounted IF we had been led by a government committed to the unilateral independence of the UK. From 24 June 2016 to 30 March 2019 (expiry of Art 50) would have given the UK 2 years 9 months to prepare for WTO, that is if the Tories and the Civil Service had wanted to prepare for it. But they didn’t want to. As I understand it, they have almost wilfully failed to prepare for WTO so as to more or less prevent it from being an option. During WW2 the UK had no trade with Nazi-occupied Europe. If we could survive then we could survive now if our government and people had the will.

Jake Bennett
on June 4, 2018 at 9:27 am

Our association with the EU was a Conservative/Corporatist vision right from the word go. And now we have a corporate sponsored Party with a Remainer leader that feels it is having to deliver Brexit rather than wanting to. Let’s face it, most of the so-called obstacles to leaving the EU that are presented to us are more imgaginary, than real.
The difficulties we face are of the Governemnt’s own mischief making and internal wrangling.. No good blaming Barnier and the EU they are simply doing exactly what they said they would do.
Walk away if they will not accomodate a free trade deal, which is a mutually fair agreement, they have more to loose than us. And at such a time when the EU is in crisis monetarily and politically, the British negotiators have a strong hand.

Lets face it a Berber selling carpets in a Marrakech bazaar has more dealing savvy that this shambolic Government.
World Trade Rules will be just fine.

Roger Turner
on June 3, 2018 at 11:39 pm

Mr.Moore is a persistent devil he keeps on producing this nostrum, which I notice attracts more criticism than acceptance.
I am not sufficiently qualified to comment either way, but I am quite clear that Brexit for me meant leaving the EU in all aspects and completely recovering our sovereignty, which means the EU will no longer have any controls over anything to do with our enterprise or influence with any other outsiders of the EU we have dealings with.
This covers the ability to make all our own laws without reference to the EU
To exercise all our own laws without supervision, interference or reference to the ECJ.
It means we will no longer accept the EAW in its present form.
It means we have sole and full control of our borders and we could introduce immigration on a points system suitable to providing labour for our ascertained needs, but certainly with a view to bringing in newcomers who would contribute and co-exist with the extant population rather than jarring with customs and contributing to a tidal wave of bodies for whom services would not be provided or extended and so lead to the dreadful hospital emergency situations, school overcrowding and custom conflict.
It means we regain our territorial waters and ALL our fishing rights..
It also means we have unfettered access to trading rights with any country we choose.
It was understood be all voters that to achieve the above freedoms it was axiomatic that we would exit the single market and I suppose although not constantly mentioned the customs union.
Etc. Etc. Etc.
So if EFTA doesnt offer all of the above, count me out!
We voted to jump off a cliff on 23/6/16 - LETs DO IT and wing it, anything to be completely free of that set of EU gangsters. (remember Greece, despoiled, pillaged, raped and dishonoured)

RobC
on June 4, 2018 at 2:51 pm

Many thanks for this.
My thoughts enterely.

Mike Newland
on June 3, 2018 at 11:17 pm

The Sun has a very strong editorial calling for democracy to be upheld and for us to leave. Plus robust remarks about Soros’s attempts to interfere. The Sun may have limits but it’s usually far more honest than the other MSM ‘manufacturing consent’ outlets.

COLIN HUSSEY
on June 3, 2018 at 9:03 pm

This evening one of our branch members has advised me that a pro Brexit rally is being staged on Saturday 23rd June 2018. Unfortunately they did not know of any other details Apart from the rally by Gloucester UKIP I have heard of no other public rally being staged in London or otherwise. Has Viv or anybody else heard about this supposed pro Brexit rally? We are approaching the second anniversary of the referendum in 2016, but why isn’t UKIP being more vocal on this issue and staging a rally of its own. We Brexiteers seem to have no voice any longer and the Remain camp seem to be in the ascent.

Hugo
on June 3, 2018 at 9:43 pm

Colin, it is not anywhere near Gloucester!

Mike Newland
on June 3, 2018 at 11:46 pm

The demo is by the Democratic Football Lads and advertised on Facebook. Victoria Station 1 pm.

—and, sadly, it’s not going to be a revolution but a civil war because there are too many Communists, Totalitarians and dopey students who want to live under a dictatorship.

RichardW
on June 4, 2018 at 8:17 am

With respect, Sonya, not all communists are Remainers. Both the Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist) and the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist) (yes, they’re different!) are fellow-Brexiteers. The leaflets of the former (slogan “Get On, Get Out”) on Brexit are quite good – better than anything I’ve seen from UKIP, see for example this one from 2016: http://www.cpbml.org.uk/sites/default/files/2016/get%20on%20get%20out_print.pdf

Porter
on June 4, 2018 at 10:38 am

I’m glad to hear it, Richard, although surprised. I’ve always understood that whereas Nazi-ism was for NATIONAL socialism, Communism was for INTERNATIONAL socialism and was therefore surprised to see that this group are against the free movement of labour. Perhaps, after all, they are NATIONAL socialists, i.e. Nazis or facists — ?

Porter
on June 4, 2018 at 10:57 am

—on second thoughts, Richard, no, not all Communists are ‘internationalists’ and there is one I should apologise to. Back in 1994 when Nigel had twisted my arm to stand for Surrey in the EU election that year, there was a day when I was standing in our front room surrounded by bags of 12,000 leaflets and wondering how on earth we (there were only five of us at that time) were going to get them all delivered around our town. Suddenly there was a knock at the door and there was a chap who said: ‘I’m a Communist, but until we get Britain out of the EU, I’ll vote for UKIP — is there anything you would like me to do?’ Was there!!! I handed him a large pile of leaflets and a road map and off he went. He came back again and again and in the end, I think my Communist helper delivered most of those 12,000 leaflets!

RichardW
on June 4, 2018 at 6:23 pm

Yes, communists are often dogged workers and usually also know a thing or two about party organisation. And we should not forget that at the time we joined the Common Market (as it then was) much of the opposition came from the Left – people like Barbara Castle. It was the Tories, not the communists, who took us in, and it is the Tories who are currently keeping us in! We Leavers need to be a broad church and be willing to join with anyone who is sincere in wanting UK independence, whatever the reason he or she wants independence.

Out now, and trade under WTO rules.
I believe that is what we voted for.
May must go !

Anthony Woodcock
on June 3, 2018 at 12:56 pm

Oh dear!, here is the Richard North/Booker/CIB Halifax Manifesto nonsense again, puting us permanently
In the waiting room to rejoin the EU.
Despite the fact that this remoaner Cabinet has done little to prepare for it, no deal is still by far the best deal. Every day reveals to me, at least, that Mrs. Maybe has deliberately created a horlicks of things to keep us in. No deal will now be difficult, but we will not be fleeced of £40 bn. and we shall be free.
But I think first, we must get rid of our political caste.

JackT
on June 3, 2018 at 12:03 pm

I agree that expertise should have been sought from the private sector; that could have been done at the start. However EFTA/EEA is not what we voted for and would surely be obstructed as much as possible by Barnier and his cronies. The one thing he is right about is the lack of preparation by our government which is telling. We trade with many countries around the world with no association with them. The only realistic way out of the mess that May has created is to leave and trade under WTO rules.

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